Member Article

Is tooth decay linked to PROFESSION? New statistics find that you’re more likely to have tooth decay if you work in a manual job...

• 27% of those from routine and manual backgrounds tend to experience tooth decay, while only 19% in managerial and professional jobs do.
• New statistical findings have uncovered that 49% of adults haven’t seen a dentist in the last 24 months, despite being encouraged to visit once a year.
• The North West set the record for most dental attendances, but data still shows that 43.9% did not see a dentist in the last 24 months.

With dental care at its most accessible, and with technologies making it all the more beneficial, you’d think that dental attendances would be through the roof. New findings from research led by the online pharmacy, Chemist 4 U, have unveiled however that this is far from the case. With UK dental attendances only growing by 20% in the past 40 years.

Almost HALF (49%) of adults in the UK are recorded as having no NHS dental attendance over the past 24 months, meaning only 1 in 2 Brits over the age of 18 are visiting a dentist regularly, despite it being recommended that adults should visit one at least once a year.

And strangely, it would seem that our jobs affect our likelihood of experiencing dental problems, too. 27% of those from routine and manual backgrounds tend to experience tooth decay, while only 19% in managerial and professional jobs do.

London was ranked the worst for dental attendances, with a massive 55.7% having seen no dentist in the last 24 months, the highest figure by far in the country. The North West displayed the most dental checkup records, but the figure still only sits at 56.1% of attendances.

Therefore, It’s unsurprising that over the last 12 months, 39.2 million orthodontic treatments were given to paying adults, and as much as 60% of those were classified as urgent. The scale and polish - which removes the unhealthy build-up of plaque and tartar, was found to be the most commonly issued dental treatment, with 12.7 million treatments given every single year.

And according to the study, just 17% of adults were found to have entirely healthy periodontal tissues (gums) that displayed no signs of disease whatsoever.

Dr Anjali Patel, a UK dentist shares her thoughts on the nation’s alarming dental hygiene: “the dental attendance figures are disappointing, and unfortunately the number of adults in the UK who are showing signs of gum disease is sizable. I think there are a few reasons for these statistics, one of them being that there seems to be a stigma around the dentist. A lot of people feel anxious about visiting, and that’s perfectly normal - but there’s nothing to be worried about. We’ll never perform a treatment without explaining it first and asking for your consent, and in most cases, forms of pain relief can be issued by ourselves - making treatments entirely painless.

There’s also a lot of misconceptions around the practice of brushing our teeth, which could explain why the scale and polish treatment occurs so often in dental practices. You should be brushing for at least 2 minutes a day, at least twice a day, and you should be changing your toothbrush at least once every 3 months. I think this is a big one, as changing toothbrushes is something people often seem to forget, but that is incredibly important. I’d always recommend picking up a few while shopping, that way when it’s time to change you always have one to hand.“

This data was uncovered by Chemist 4 U and is compiled of industry research. You can find the full statistical data here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tanya James .